MAYBE YES...MAYBE NO (05/ 02/ 2014)

Michael Cunningham is one of my favorite authors. His well known novel,
THE HOURS, was an unforgettable read...and a Pulitzer Prize Winner.
Now we have THE SNOW QUEEN, his latest, debuting May 6th to great anticipation.

(By me, anyway)

On a lighter note, if you're looking for a good summer read, Emma Straub's THE VACATIONERS has all the ingredients for beachside reading and I'm ready for some of that!

THE SNOW QUEEN BY MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM

No, this book is not an adult retelling of Frozen, although Michael Cunningham may benefit from shopper confusion. Instead of two sisters, The Snow Queen gives us the story of two brothers: lovelorn Barrett, who, after a supernatural sighting in Central Park, begins to turn to religion; and Tyler, a struggling Bushwick-residing musician who, on the cusp of marrying his ill fiancé, turns to the relief of drugs.


If the set-up seems precariously ethereal, remember that Mr. Cunningham’s most famous novel, The Hours, was something of an out-on-a-limb narrative experiment, too. Like that novel, The Snow Queen is sure to stir up conversation. Book clubs will enjoy discussing the book’s fantastical elements, as well as the issues of religion, spirituality, and personal salvation it addresses.

THE VACATIONERS BY EMMA STRAUB


In Emma Straub’s The Vacationers (the title, cover, and subject matter of which all scream “beach read”) a family of Manhattanites—anniversary-celebrating Franny and Jim, and their high-school-graduating daughter Sylvia—heads to exotic Mallorca, a land of “mountains and beaches” and “tapas and tennis courts,” for a two-week vacation.


Unfortunately, with extended friends and family in tow, the island setting proves not to be an escape but a kind of gossipy prison, and, before the vacation is through, a host of painful family secrets and betrayals will rise to the surface like bubbles from a snorkel. Book clubs who enjoyed Straub’s 2012 novel Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures shouldn’t hesitate before diving in.

Thankyou Bookish.com for your comments.

Reminder: Buy a book directly from this blog and all profits got to charity.

DO I REALLY CARE ABOUT GEORGE CLOONEY? (04/ 29/2014)

I love this time of year...a new season, a fresh outlook, George Clooney is engaged and best of all...lots of new books. Below is a short list of some new titles compiled by Bookreporter.com. Reviews have been good and as always Joyce Carol Oates is depressing....See if you agree.... 

HIGH CRIME AREA: TALES OF DARKNESS AND DREAD BY JOYCE CAROL OATES 

(Suspence Short Stories)

 

Joyce Carol Oates is an unparalleled investigator of human flaws. In these eight stories, she deftly tests the bonds between damaged individuals --- a brother and sister, a teacher and student, two strangers on a subway --- in the fearless prose for which she’s become so celebrated. She confronts, one by one, the demons within us. Sometimes it’s the human who wins, and sometimes it’s the demon. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

THE TARGET BY DAVID BALDACCI (Thriller)

The President knows it's a perilous, high-risk assignment. If he gives the order, he has the opportunity to take down a global menace, once and for all. If the mission fails, he would face certain impeachment, and the threats against the nation would multiply. So the president turns to the one team that can pull off the impossible: Will Robie and his partner, Jessica Reel. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

EVERYTHING TO LOSE BY ANDREW GROSS (Thriller)

When Hilary Blum stops to help a car that slammed into a tree, she discovers the driver dead --- and a satchel stuffed with a half a million dollars. That money could prevent her family's ruin and keep her special needs son in school. In an instant, this honest, achieving woman who has always done the responsible thing makes a decision that puts her in the center of a maelstrom of dark consequences and life-threatening recriminations. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub


Thankyou Bookreporter.com and be sure to order from Amazon. Click on the book in the graphic or use the Search Box in the Sidebar.  All profits go to charity.

IS THERE LIFE AFTER LIFE? (04/24/2014)

Prolific reader Barbara A. recently posted these comments about LIFE AFTER LIFE  by Kate Atkinson. Released in January, this novel was the recipient of mixed reviews. It's a challenging storyline with different endings each playing out for the same situation. After reading Barbara's comments, I added it to my oh so long, TBR list.....and maybe you should too.

Here's what Barbara had to say....

"Because such as you are, having learned what that is."  This admonition, from Pindar, comes nearly at the end of Kate Atkinson's joy of a book, but not nearly at the end of her Ursula's story, nor at the end of ours, either, for aren't we all forever in the process of becoming? 


I adored, simply adored, this very smart, very funny, very heart-wrenching book. I loved that it demands one's full intelligence, one's utmost attention, a real knowledge of history, a sense of humor, and a sense of awe. Why shouldn't a book ask as much of its readership as readers ask of a book?"

ABOUT THIS AUTHOR

Kate Atkinson is a British novelist. Her first novel SCENES AT THE MUSEUM won the Whitebread Book of the Year Award and she has been a critically acclaimed best selling author ever since.

Her website is www.kateatkinson.co.uk/

BOOK GROUP TRENDS (04/18/2014)

 

Here's a short list of what's trending in some Book Groups around the country. It's quite an eclectic mix with a variety of reviews and comments. A really highly praised and popular book doesn't guaranty that the discussion will be memorable.

Many groups have a specific theme or a genre..Many groups have a leader and are very focused...Many drink wine and loose focus..whatever.....It's all good!

THE OTHER STORY by TATIANA De ROSNAY

After the success of SARAH'S KEY many readers called this a disappointing read.  Unfortunately the main character who dominates the story causes such distaste that the book is overly affected by  it..However, a character that's loathsome and dominant often creates great discussions.

LITTLE FAILURE BY GARY SHTEYNGART

"Though fans of the author's fiction will find illumination, a memoir this compelling and entertaining—one that frequently collapses the distinction between comedy and tragedy—should expand his readership beyond those who have loved his novels." (Kirkus Reviews)

An immigrant's memoir like few others, with as sharp an edge and as  stylistic audacity as the author's well-received novels.

This memoir was the choice of several groups..led to great discussions and was a general crowd pleaser, according to some "groupie" sources.

UPDIKE BY ADAM BEGLEY

This is a revealing biography of John Updike, one of the most celebrated authors in American literature and a favorite of mine.  The book has been praised, but some readers expressed disappointment and felt it shared little insight or verve. 

Such a colorful author can inspire eye opening discussions and many groups felt it did just that...even though the book was controversial. Controversy usually leads to a  good conversation. 

What's your Book Group reading? Post a comment BELOW or write......Jssherr@gmail.com

THESE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE BLOG.

CLICK ON THE BOOK IN THE GRAPHIC OR CLICK ON THE SEARCH BOX IN THE SIDEBAR. PROFITS GO TO CHARITY.

 

THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL (04/2014)

  

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi may remind you of The Kiterunner by Khalid Hosseini, but that's a good thing, right?  You'll find it an unforgettable read....

Review from Bookreporter.com

I spent the week absorbed in reading --- and I do mean absorbed. While I read a lot, a book like THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL by Nadia Hashimi, which will be in stores on May 6th, is one that will stay with me and also made me feel grateful for where I live. It opens in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2007 where Rahima lives with her mother, sisters and opium-addicted father. The only way that she can leave the house is by adopting the bacha posh custom of dressing like a boy, which she can do until she matures. In this way, she attends school and moves freely around their village. But at some point, she must become a girl again, and at that point is married off with her two sisters to give the family some much-needed money, as well as a pipeline to opium for her father. What happens to Rahima is not new to her family. A century before, her great-aunt Shekiba, who was orphaned, also adopted a disguise as a man to survive. Their stories are intertwined, and it makes for a very compelling read. I read long into the night to finish it on Tuesday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

www.nadiahashimi.com

PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON NOW. USE THE AMAZON SEARCH BOX IN THE SIDEBAR. ALL PROCEEDS GO TO CHARITY.

CAN YOU RESIST THIS? (04/06/2014)

I recently received an early edition of a novel titled THE STORIED LIFE OF A. J. FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin. My TBR list was overwhelming, so I gave it to a blog reader to peruse and her response was.. "This book was so readable, such a treat, so moving, wonderful, endearing." 

She would have blabbed on but that's all I needed to hear...although she managed to add "Every book lover should read this!"  So "book lovers" out there, this is for us!

Below is a review from Amazon

THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY BY GABRIELLE ZEVIN

A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died; his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history; and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island--from Chief Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who's always felt kindly toward him; from Ismay, his sister-in-law, who is hell-bent on saving A.J. from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who persists in taking the ferry to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, he can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.


And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It's a small package, though large in weight--an unexpected arrival that gives A.J. the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J., for the determined sales rep Amelia to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light, for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world. Or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn't see coming.


As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.

ABOUT THIS AUTHOR

www.gabriellezevin.com

TO ORDER

Click on the Amazon Search Box in the Sidebar. All proceeds go to a charity.